Waikato Herald
  • Waikato Herald home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Locations

  • Hamilton
  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Matamata & Piako
  • Cambridge
  • Te Awamutu
  • Tokoroa & South Waikato
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Weather

  • Thames
  • Hamilton
  • Tokoroa
  • Taumarunui
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Waikato News

Thames homicide inquiry: Well-known musician ‘devastated’ by news of relative’s death

Al Williams
By Al Williams
Open Justice reporter·Waikato Herald·
16 Jan, 2025 04:00 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Police cordoned off a street in Thames this week after a man who was found with moderate injuries later died in hospital.

Police cordoned off a street in Thames this week after a man who was found with moderate injuries later died in hospital.

A 60-year-old man who died in Thames this week has been remembered by a well-known musician who says he is devastated by the news and knows very little about the man’s demise.

Police arrested and charged a 28-year-old with murder after they were called to Rolleston St about 3.40pm on Monday where Maxwell Connor was found with moderate injuries.

Connor was taken to Thames Hospital where his condition deteriorated and he died.

A 28-year-old man appeared in Kaitāia District Court today charged with murder. The accused was granted interim name suppression and remanded in custody.

The accused will next appear in the High Court at Hamilton on February 4.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Singer/guitarist Mark Taipari.
Singer/guitarist Mark Taipari.

Singer/guitarist Mark Taipari said he was related to Connor through iwi.

“I can tell you I’m pretty devastated by the news and know very little of his demise.

“What I can tell you about Max is that he was always a very quiet, unassuming man, always very pleasant and good to talk to.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“To me everyone seemed to like Max, he was just a good person,” Taipari said.

“I knew Max reasonably well, I wouldn’t say we hung out together.

“Just knew him a little through school, he loved a laugh but was generally very quiet.

“Just a guy we all liked.”

A Givealittle has been set up to help with Connor’s funeral costs.

A street in Thames was cordoned off by police on Tuesday with a gazebo erected outside a property as they conducted a homicide investigation.
A street in Thames was cordoned off by police on Tuesday with a gazebo erected outside a property as they conducted a homicide investigation.

On Tuesday, a section of Rolleston St was cordoned off by police with a gazebo erected outside a property.

A nearby resident said his neighbour told him he heard foul language on Monday afternoon and threats, including the words, “I’m going to rape you”.

The resident said the house police were investigating had been renovated “a couple of months ago”.

“It’s not a rough area, it’s just the odd house which gets rough people,” he said.

The daughter of a woman living near the property being investigated said her mum heard “loud yelling” from about 4pm on Monday.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The woman didn’t hear anything specific about the yelling, but she told her daughter it was a shared driveway with new tenants, who played their music “very loudly”.

“That’s not unusual for that place though, there’s a couple of state houses down there that are all as bad as each other, and the police are always there.”

After the yelling, her mum saw police cars soon after, and then officers went around the street to let residents know they would be staying overnight.

On Tuesday morning, her mum said detectives were seen “looking over fences and making sure nothing was chucked in people’s front or backyards”.

Police are continuing to appeal to anyone with information to come forward.

“In particular we would like to hear from anyone who witnessed an altercation in Rolleston St at around 3.40pm on Monday afternoon,” Detective Senior Sergeant Kristine Clarke said in a statement.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“If you have any information, please contact police via 105 either online or over the phone referencing file number: 250113/5723″

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Waikato News

Waikato Herald

'A lot of fast food': Mum who stole $500k from employer blew most on takeaways

Waikato Herald

'Love you moko': Grieving grandma vows justice for 20yo killed after birthday celebration

Waikato Herald

Vandalised landmark for rent for $520 a year - why so cheap?


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Waikato News

'A lot of fast food': Mum who stole $500k from employer blew most on takeaways
Waikato Herald

'A lot of fast food': Mum who stole $500k from employer blew most on takeaways

The mother of five was ordered to pay reparation of $100,000.

21 Jul 08:03 AM
'Love you moko': Grieving grandma vows justice for 20yo killed after birthday celebration
Waikato Herald

'Love you moko': Grieving grandma vows justice for 20yo killed after birthday celebration

21 Jul 07:30 AM
Vandalised landmark for rent for $520 a year - why so cheap?
Waikato Herald

Vandalised landmark for rent for $520 a year - why so cheap?

21 Jul 07:00 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Waikato Herald e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Waikato Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP